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Hagel: Budget cuts could force Navy to sideline 3 aircraft carriers
foxnews.com ^ | 7/31/13 | ap

Posted on 07/31/2013 1:40:46 PM PDT by ColdOne

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel warned Wednesday that the Pentagon may have to mothball up to three Navy aircraft carriers and order additional sharp reductions in the size of the Army and Marine Corps if Congress doesn't act to avoid massive budget cuts beginning in 2014.

Speaking to Pentagon reporters, and indirectly to Congress, Hagel said that the full result of the sweeping budget cuts over the next 10 years could leave the nation with an ill-prepared, under-equipped military doomed to face more technologically advanced enemies.

In his starkest terms to date, Hagel laid out a worst-case scenario for the U.S. military if the Pentagon is forced to slash more than $50 billion from the 2014 budget and $500 billion over the next 10 years as a result of Congressionally-mandated automatic spending cuts.

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; Politics/Elections
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To: ColdOne
Do you know that the Imperial Japanese Navy Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force is now up to 186 ships?
41 posted on 07/31/2013 4:04:37 PM PDT by Jim Noble (When strong, avoid them. Attack their weaknesses. Emerge to their surprise.)
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To: ColdOne

Who cares?

When America surrenders in a few years to China and the Islamist Caliphate, it will be a Third World country anyhow.

The surrender document would be in Spanish, of course.


42 posted on 07/31/2013 5:24:19 PM PDT by oldbill
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To: traditional1; zot; 2ndDivisionVet

And folks thought there was a hollow Army in the mid-70s!

Read the entire article. Army to 1950 force level. Air Force similar.


43 posted on 07/31/2013 5:46:50 PM PDT by GreyFriar (Spearhead - 3rd Armored Division 75-78 & 83-87)
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To: GreyFriar
The federal budget is most of all an enormous jobs program. Lots of jobs, lots of benefits, lots of pensions. Now, if cuts are absolutely required, those cuts will be made in the areas of services to be performed -- no tours at the White House, no USAF flyovers, no National Park Maintenance, fewer carriers, etc.

But, for the most part, the jobs, benefits and -- most of all -- the pensions will remain. But the whole thing will just serve less purpose because the government won't actually be doing much of anything.

I've recently been close to the federal workforce, and for those who haven't really seen them in action: you would be amazed. They do almost no work, they socialize all day, they organize softball leagues, golf outings, and morale-boosting picnics. They do this on your dime. During a time of sequestration and furloughs. It's staggering.

These people do not live in the real world. They are not productive. The thought doesn't occur to them. They show up because they want to get paid. End of story.

I'll throw in the caveat that I am not talking about the men and women in uniform who put themselves in harms way. No one questions their commitment or value. But the bureaucrats back home? Total waste.

Cuts? Cuts? You can't possibly cut as much as you ought to. Keep the cuts coming. Cut it all, man. I am sick to death of this parasitical beast we call the federal government.

44 posted on 07/31/2013 5:59:16 PM PDT by ClearCase_guy (21st century. I'm not a fan.)
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To: ClearCase_guy

Clear case— The cuts in personnel strength is UNIFORMED Army soldiers, not Dept of Army Civilians. It is the guys who fight to defend us.

So turn off your rant switch and do some thinking on what the state of the nation’s defense will be when the soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines are reduced to a level not seen since the beginning of the Korean War, 63 years ago. And that with an administration who doesn’t know how to keep our troops out of harms way.


45 posted on 07/31/2013 6:05:56 PM PDT by GreyFriar (Spearhead - 3rd Armored Division 75-78 & 83-87)
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To: GreyFriar
I think you missed my point. The cuts show evidence of two mistakes:

1) Cuts in uniformed soldiers. This is a mistake. As I indicated in my post, no one doubts the value of these men and women.
2) Woefully insufficient cuts in government civilians. By and large, these people are unproductive parasites. It is a mistake not to make more cuts in these areas. There is waste, fraud, and abuse all over the place, and it will not get better until the number of government civilians is reduced to where they HAVE to perform efficiently.

I've been involved in Acquisitions. The goal here is "How can I spend $2B?" That's it -- start to finish. Actually accomplishing something of value is not really of interest to the government civilians I've seen. They need to spend money to justify jobs. They don't care if they have anything to show for it.

They hurt the warfighter.

46 posted on 07/31/2013 6:13:07 PM PDT by ClearCase_guy (21st century. I'm not a fan.)
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To: GreyFriar

1950 Force Levels for the Military — while trillions are spend on politically correct projects.


47 posted on 07/31/2013 6:20:45 PM PDT by zot
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To: jazusamo

This is great news. The female pregnancy rate is 23% on these carriers. The homosexual perversion is beyond belief. Scrap them. Close the borders.


48 posted on 07/31/2013 8:40:04 PM PDT by SADMILLIE (r)
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To: SADMILLIE

Yeah, that’s the answer, take them all out of service.

You need help, a shrink or Clozaril, probably both.


49 posted on 07/31/2013 9:17:34 PM PDT by jazusamo ("I am so old that I can remember when most of the people promoting race hate were white." T. Sowell)
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To: ColdOne

The US has 13 aircraft carrier groups — that’s more than the rest of the world combined. Even down to 9 or 10, that’s enough firepower to take ANYONE on...


50 posted on 08/01/2013 6:27:31 AM PDT by Cronos
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To: ClearCase_guy

>>>1) Cuts in uniformed soldiers. This is a mistake. As I indicated in my post, no one doubts the value of these men and women. 2) Woefully insufficient cuts in government civilians. By and large, these people are unproductive parasites. It is a mistake not to make more cuts in these areas. There is waste, fraud, and abuse all over the place, and it will not get better until the number of government civilians is reduced to where they HAVE to perform efficiently.<<<

Do your math! Unlike uniformed soldiers, government civilians are 90% democrat voters.


51 posted on 08/01/2013 7:53:13 AM PDT by cunning_fish
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To: G Larry

You have to ask anyhow does the US really need a military budget the almost the size of all other nations combined?


52 posted on 08/01/2013 9:04:29 AM PDT by Sam Gamgee (May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't. - Patton)
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To: ClearCase_guy

What is the civilian to soldier ratio in the armed forces? I know it is way up there.


53 posted on 08/01/2013 9:06:47 AM PDT by Sam Gamgee (May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't. - Patton)
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To: ColdOne

EmpERROR 0bama needs to stop going on all these damn multi million dollar vacations.


54 posted on 08/01/2013 9:07:07 AM PDT by 2CAVTrooper (Impeach 0bama)
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To: ColdOne

How about grounding AF-1?


55 posted on 08/01/2013 9:48:05 AM PDT by Old Yeller (Goodbye America. Glad the majority of my years were spent during the good days.)
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To: Sam Gamgee

that answer lies in the threats arrayed against us.

YES!


56 posted on 08/01/2013 10:56:11 AM PDT by G Larry (Let his days be few; and let another take his office. Psalms 109:8)
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To: G Larry

“Since nobody in this administration has the courage to actually USE our National Defense capability ...”

Afghanistan
Pakistan
Yemen
Libya
Mali
Niger
Nigeria
Congo
Central African Republic
Somalia
Uganda
Syria


57 posted on 08/01/2013 11:03:58 AM PDT by Pan_Yan
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To: ColdOne
Budget cuts?

What Budget???

58 posted on 08/01/2013 11:28:25 AM PDT by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing)
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To: Smokin' Joe
What Budget??? Ding, ding, ding!!!!! The winning post of the season goes to.....Smokin' Joe!!!!!
59 posted on 08/01/2013 12:07:49 PM PDT by ColdOne (I miss my poochie... Tasha 2000~3/14/11)
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To: Pan_Yan

Nice list....

What’s the point?

What do they have in common?

Conflict?
Yes.
U.S. military involvement?
No.


60 posted on 08/01/2013 12:56:57 PM PDT by G Larry (Let his days be few; and let another take his office. Psalms 109:8)
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